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A general view of the Victoria Barracks on St Kilda Road in Melbourne.

It’s well past time to put Defence’s surplus land to good use

Decades of reviews have produced little action. It is hoped this latest audit will prompt a response that will help ease the housing crisis.

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The USS Minnesota, a Virginia-class submarine, sails off Western Australia last month.

‘Borderline frightening’: Pentagon outlines major challenge to AUKUS

Defence Minister Richard Marles has also confirmed the deal’s sprawling second pillar will be slimmed down in light of industry complaints.

  • Michael Koziol
Defence Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Australia needs to grasp chance to reset defence expectations with the US

When Marles and Wong go to the US, it would benefit us all if they got down to brass tacks about the defence of Australia in the event of war – above and beyond our own military spending.

  • Jennifer Parker
The leaders of the AUKUS nations, Keir Starmer, Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump.

Let’s scuttle AUKUS before it sinks

While our purchase of Japan’s frigates is a solid investment, Britain’s claim that it will defend Australia exposes the absurdity of AUKUS: a show of solidarity as substantive as a mirage within a hologram within a dream.

  • David Livingstone
The USS North Dakota, a Virginia-class boat of the type Australia would acquire under AUKUS.

‘Trends are worrying’: Incoming US naval boss sounds AUKUS warning

The Pentagon, meanwhile, has confirmed Australia’s second $800 million payment to help the US build nuclear-powered submarines was made after Canberra became aware the AUKUS agreement was under review.

  • Michael Koziol
EU Ambassador to Australia Gabriele Visentin addresses the National Press Club last Wednesday.

Why Europe needs a defence deal with Australia – and why we need it, too

In a dangerous world, where the US can no longer be assumed to be a reliable partner, Australia needs to listen to the EU’s pitch for a security partnership.

  • George Brandis
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A patch with a coat of arms combining the NATO insignia and that of the German federal state of Saxony is seen on a soldier’s uniform as troops of Dutch and German units take part in military exercises near Gardelegen, Germany, on Wednesday.

NATO is wooing Australia and China is not happy about it

The alliance’s increased focus on the Indo-Pacific region is irritating China, whose view of the Russia-Ukraine war aligns more with Moscow’s.

  • Rob Harris
Military delegates march ahead of the opening session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

‘Changes unseen in a century’: China braces for shifting global order

As a trade war with the United States begins, China wants to fire up its economy and plans to increase defence spending.

  • Lisa Visentin
A Virginia-class nuclear submarine under construction at Newport, Virginia.

US submarine construction up to three years behind schedule raises more questions over AUKUS pact

State Department official Kurt Campbell says not only will Washington do whatever it takes to make AUKUS work, it will also expand it to other countries.

  • Farrah Tomazin
A Virginia-class attack submarine.

US Navy cuts Virginia-class submarine from budget in potential blow to pact

If approved, the proposal could have “a profound impact” on the navies of Australia and the US, and on the AUKUS military pact, according to an American congressman.

  • Farrah Tomazin